Seeking a solid CPU, board, and RAM setup just for gaming performance
Seeking a solid CPU, board, and RAM setup just for gaming performance
Recently moved to a Xeon 6230 replacing my Threadripper 2970wx. In professional tasks the chip performs much better than the TR, but in gaming it behaves very differently because of its slow clock speed and high load. Now I’m searching for a dedicated gaming machine so I can enjoy top performance while keeping costs in mind. The essential specs I need are: minimum 8 cores at 5GHz, at least 64GB RAM. Since my old setup with Chrome, Discord, gaming apps, OBS, and music could easily use 40GB, 64GB would be ideal. I’m not concerned about fitting three 980 PRO 2TB NVMe drives and three SATA drives on one board because I can reuse my existing drives. My current games mainly include Watch Dogs 2, Legion, Teardown, and Anno 1800/CK3, which run smoothly at 3440x1440 resolution. My budget is around $1100 CAD total, and I already have a Titan V GPU that I’ll use for gaming as my previous work machine.
Ghz is irrelevant. Single-core speed matters. Windows claims unused RAM is wasted space. 32GB is more than enough. Will you really fill all that space? For a gaming rig, 6TB+ seems excessive. In any case, here’s your PCPartPicker list: https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/hdv7GL. CPU: Intel Core i5-12400F 2.5 GHz 6-core ($219.99 @ Memory Express). Motherboard: ASRock B660 Steel Legend ATX LGA1700 ($149.00 @ Newegg Canada). RAM: OLOy MD4U323216DJDA 64GB (2x32GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 ($262.98 @ Newegg Canada). Case: Corsair 4000D Airflow ATX Mid Tower ($114.99 @ Amazon Canada). Power Supply: MSI MPG A-GF 850W 80+ Gold Certified, fully modular ($129.99 @ Amazon Canada). Overall cost: $876.95. Includes shipping, taxes, and discounts where available. This was generated by PCPartPicker on July 26, 2022 at 09:50 EDT-0400. You can add a 12600kf if desired. Going beyond that gives minimal benefit for gaming.
You’re planning to utilize most of your available storage—already around 70% for games, movies, and music. The 32GB capacity is more than enough; I upgraded my main workstation to 384GB just because it kept failing to keep up with demand. On my gaming rig, hitting 40GB was common, and I usually leave several tabs open for research, downloads, and chatting without closing anything. For now, 64GB seems sufficient for most systems. Regarding the CPU, an 8-core unlocked processor would definitely fit within your budget, especially since I’ve already used 24 cores over the past few years. The core count has changed a lot, so it’s not as outdated as it might seem. Thanks for the helpful list!
You'll use the system for gaming with 16GB RAM, as the 12400F handles that. If you need more memory for other apps, consider upgrading to a model with 64GB RAM.
The 12th generation only slightly boosts performance, requiring very strong cooling and power usage that roughly doubles output with minimal gains. It’s not a good value. For better CPU performance, opt for the 12600kf—difference from the 12700kf is negligible for gaming. Just upgrade the cooler since it lacks one and runs hotter now. In the near future, 12 threads should suffice as newer consoles support that. However, if you can afford it, choose the 12600kf for its superior capabilities beyond current options.
The 12400f provides ample space for 64GB. The performance of RAM and CPU aren't overly connected. Also, I completed the requested order and had the chance to include a 12600kf as well.
Choose 32GB; 64 is too much and costly. 32 offers a solid compromise, avoiding the strain of 16, especially for demanding RAM-heavy games or many open tabs.
uncertain if using 64GB is feasible. 32GB would still be restrictive since I reached high RAM usage during gaming with multiple tabs, Chrome, music, recording, and chatting. 64GB is affordable now, and I recently upgraded from 128GB to 384GB on my workstation, which provided a comfortable upgrade—200GB works easily and leaves plenty of space without stress. I’d like a similar approach for this gaming build.